You Me Maybe

Chapter 1 | Good Old Days

"Oh! My Gee! His? British accent girl! Oh! My Gee! Talaga! Sayang cute pa naman. Look oh, nakatingin pa rin sayo parang likes ka niya. Oh! tingnan mo,makatingin parang vampire, gwapo nga pero mas maamo pa mukha ni Edward Collins sa kanya."  pang aasar ni Ernel.

"Gaga! galit tingnan niyo mabuti. Galit na galit lagot tayo diyan mukhang anak mayaman pa naman." Sabi ni Nica

"Pakialam ko kung sinong anak pa man siya. Kahit anak pa siya ng hari ng Britanya. Ang trip ko ay trip ko sorry na lang siya. No one messes up with me!" Mataray kong sabi with laugh of revenge.

"I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU! may araw kayo sa akin!" sigaw niya sa amin.

He yelled so loud that it caught all the students and parent’s attention. Pero deadma.

"Next,” Cashier called.

"Reaghen kumusta? Bakit hindi ang mommy mo nag enroll sa inyo?”

"May meeting po siya Tita Edna. Magkano po ba lahat with textbooks?”

“Akin na yang assessment papers mo. Kilala mo ba yang sumisigaw kanina?  Pogi pa naman."

"Hindi po bagohan raw po foreigner yata, parang hindi naman ako naintindihan."

"Yung sayo fifty-four thousand five hundred twenty-eight sixty. (54,528.60PHP) babayaran mo rin ba yung kay Sam?"

"Kung kasya po dala ko magkano po ba? Nag paassess na po ba siya?"

“Mukhang nakaassess na siya. Seventy-nine thousand nine hundred eighty five even. (79,985.00)"

"Tita Edna, cheque po "

"Cheque na lahat?"

"Mhmm...Yung kay Sam po I have to pay a check. I only have enough cash for mines."

"Receipt?”

"Ah! Yung sakin lang po e print mo."

Naglabas ako ng cheque for Sams tuition fees at cash ko naman binayaran yung sa akin.

"Thank you po Tita Edna pakibigay na lang po kay Sam yung papers niya kasama ko kasi friends ko. ' Lam mo na."

“Okay, got it! Send my regards to Fina.”

Tanging si Tita Edna ang may alam ng lihim namin ni Samantha best friend siya ni Mommy Fina.

#  #  #

NATAPOS DIN ANG mahabang pila at pakikipag-away ko. Prank lang dapat iyon, pero nauwi sa confrontation. And worst, Blake even threatened us. Guwapo sana siya. Ang kaso, mortal na kaaway ko pala.

“Hay, salamat! Natapos din. Tara na?! ” aya ko sa dalawa.

“Bestie, dating gawi, ha?” Ernel excitedly asked.

“Pumunta na tayo sa mall. We haven’t hangout for a while. You’re always busy, Ryze,” Nica said in a sulking tone.

“Okay, let’s eat lunch. It’s my treat! But I have to go home after, okay lang? Wala pa kasi akong tulog. Promise, I will make it up to both of you. We can hangout after the freshmen college orientation. Is that alright?” I said.

“Alrighty,” Ernel agreed. “Since you’re paying for our lunch, it’s fine. Right, Nica?”

Nica’s eyes sank. “Okay! Wala naman tayong magagawa since Ryze already decided.”

“Beshie, nagtatampo ka ba?” I asked.

“Kasi naman!” She rolled her eyes and curled her lips. “Bakit mo kailangang mag-summer job? You could have spent time with us. We could have taken a trip to Cebu or Boracay or kahit sa Caramoan Islands na lang sana.”

“Nica, nagtatampo ka nga!” Lumapit ako sa kaniya at niyakap siya. “I’m sorry. I promise I’ll have time for you guys. On Friday, we have the whole afternoon together. What if . . . mmm . . . a slumber night? We can stay at the Princeton Hotel for the weekend, and then we can go together to school on Monday. Is that okay with you?”

“Okay, fine! Slumber night sounds good! Can we eat at the Chengco’s Restaurant too? Their food is the best!” Nica answered. Her sulking face is now covered with excitement.

“Okay, slumber it is!” Ernel trillingly said. “Shall we go? Ang da-drama ninyo. Tomguts na ako!”

I went home after lunch. It’s been an exhausting day. I felt guilty. I didn’t really spent time with Ernel and Nica for the whole summer. Actually, I can spend the rest of the day with them, but my detective mode is on. Kailangan kong alamin kung ang Alexander Liam Blake Princeton na iyon at ang bunsong anak ni Tita Yen ay iisa. Ang mortal enemy ko na si Blake.

May point din naman talaga si Nica. Why do I need to do summer jobs? I want to be independent. I started working as a bartender every summer and on-call on Friday nights when it’s school days. Then I have a regular gig with the Tropa Band as a drummer at the Tropa Resto Bar every Saturday. I prefer to work instead of staying in the north kung saan nandoon ang twin sister ko. I and Sam don’t get along. We are so much different from each other. Kaya kapag vacation time, switch places kami. But she mostly spends her time traveling with her sosyal friends. We only make our grandparents crazy about us and I feel sad for Mommy Fina. She always has to take the blame from her parents for us, so I decided to stay in the city during the summer. Hanggang sa nag-college na kami and I have no choice, but to deal with my evil queen twin.

Hindi ko rin naman gustong manatili sa hacienda. Nandoon silang lahat. Nakakaumay na ring sumama sa mga lakad ni Papa kaya naghanap ako ng trabaho. I am still young, and he’s exposing me too much to his businesses. I don’t like it. I feel suffocated and no freedom. Pero minsan ay wala naman akong magagawa. Papa’s word is a law, but he’s always opens to my plan of being an independent woman. After all, he has grown the Fuentebella Empire from rags to riches.

Ang Playa del Sol Beach Resort ang isa sa mga negosyo ni Papa na kinahiligan kong bisitahin. Naenganyo akong manood sa mga bartender doon. Later, I got hooked on reading about liquors and cocktail drinks mixes. Dito rin nagsimula ang bartending job ko.

I was only sixteen when I started doing summer jobs. It was the summer after graduating high school. At first, Papa disagreed about working at the resto bar, but I convinced him that I wanted to earn on my own. It’s my way of learning how to run our family business after college. Pumayag din siya kinalaunan, but of course, under one of his friends’ son’s supervision. Because of Papa’s influence, I got a job at Tropa Resto Bar. Sir Drew became my bartending mentor. He was so nice to show me tricks and exhibitions.

I spent time stalking at Princeton Hotel. Tumawag din ako kay Lolo Mano.  I even asked Mommy Fina to ask Tita Yen about Blake. And there, before Friday orientation, I proved it. Si Blake at Liam ay iisa. Pero dahil masama pa ang loob ko kay Blake, I decided that I will only call him Liam. Pinatay ko na ang batang si Yzabelle sa isipan ko. Inilibing ko na ang mga magagandang alaala ng aking pagkabata nang kasama siya. Ako na ngayon ang matapang na si Ryze, except sa twin sister ko na si Sam. I always need to please her to make up with the grievances she has on me.

Then Friday came. Kailangan naming pumunta sa university. It was a compulsory orientation for transferees and freshmen students. Dahil ako ang vice president ng student council, may participation ako. Full support naman ang besties ko kaya pumunta rin sila.

After the orientation, we went to Ecology Maze Park where we used to hangout. Then we ate lunch and watched a movie. Dahil nyctophobic ako, I was sitting in between Nica and Ernel kahit na ayaw nilang maupo malapit sa hallway. Wala silang choice dahil doon lang naman ang may kaunting liwanag or else, sila lang ang manonood ng Star Wars.

We still have an ample of time. Naisipan naming tumambay sa food court ng mall. Streetfoods and trip naming kainin ngayon. At siyempre, kagaya ng napag-usapan, ako ang magbabayad ng lahat.  Ako lang kasi ang may work, rich kid, at laging late. Ito ang punishment ko, pero bakit ako lang ang may punishment? Dapat ay silang dalawa rin. We got into trouble last week dahil sa prank trip nilang dalawa na sinakyan ko naman. Nawindang ulit ang isip ko. 

Pumunta kami sa isang fishball stand.  Ako ang pumila at ang dalawa ang naghanap ng table namin.

“Miss, pa-order po ng tatlong fishball at tatlong orlian. Two sweet and spicy sauce, and one plain hot sauce, please. Pati rin tatlong cheese fries at buko pandan pearl shake po. Salamat po.”

Biglang may kabuteng hinihingal na sumingit sa linya.  “Miss, make it four. She owes me one!” sabi nito, saka kumindat sa akin.